July Jobs On Your Allotment

Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead

Hoe off weeds on bare soil, water well then cover with mulches to prevent moisture-loss. For instance, pile grass clippings onto layers of newspaper.
Do not leave soil bare for any length of time. Green manures, Crimson Clover, White clover, Phacelia, Summer Quick Fix can all be sown now.
Add material to compost heaps, mix greens (nitrogen rich) with browns (carbon rich) at 50/50 ratio. Water heaps if dry and turn to speed up decomposition.

Sowing and growing

In early July continue to sow beetroot, chard, perennial spinach, kohl rabi and turnips for autumn harvesting.
Sow dwarf French beans.
Sow kale for early spring harvesting and rocket for autumn harvesting.
Sow basil under cover until the middle of the month.
Sow beetroots Choggia or Burpees Golden for autumn eating.
Plant specially prepared potato tubers for Christmas crop.
Finish planting out leeks.
Remove the main shoot on cordon tomatoes where they hit the greenhouse roof, or a leaf or two above the seventh flower truss and continue feeding once a week.
Water soft fruit and fruit trees during dry spells to encourage good fruit development.
Water courgettes consistently so they continue to flower and crop.
Mulch brassicas after rain with composted stable manure to lock in moisture and nutrients and lessen the effect of club root.
At end of month chop back perennial herbs such as chives, sorrel, marjoram to encourage fresher leaves within a few weeks. If left to flower they may lose flavour.
Pinch out climbing beans once they reach the top of supports.
Prune cherries and plums after fruiting. Remove weak, damaged and crossing branches.
Thin overcrowded apples, pears and plums to get larger and better quality fruit.

Harvesting

Pick black, red and white currants and summer-fruiting raspberries.
Courgettes, spinach, cucumbers, beetroot , French beans, salad crops and greenhouse tomatoes can be harvested.
Continue digging second early potatoes.
Once harvesting of summer fruited raspberries is finished, cut old fruited canes to ground level and tie in new, healthy canes to supports.
After harvesting, summer-prune red and white currants and gooseberries. Trim back all gooseberry side shoots to 3 or 4 buds from their point of growth and cut out shoots that cross into the middle of the bush.

Gardening for wildlife

Thin out vigorous oxygenating plants in ponds, leaving them on the side to allow pondlife to crawl back into water. Keep around 30% of the surface free of weed.

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